This was the same disconnect that Hillary Clinton tried to pull off when Ron Johnson questioned her the other day and she had her "What difference does it make?" outburst. She wanted us to focus on the point in time when the attackers decided to attack.

"Was it because of a protest or because of guys out for a walk one night who decide to kill some Americans, what difference at this point does it make?"

It. She has the wrong it. Johnson's question to her and then to Kerry related to the point in time when the people in the Obama administration decided to mislead the public by actively pushing a phony story about the "Innocence of Muslims" video. That was a strange thing to do, and both Clinton and Kerry have doggedly distracted us by pretending the question is why the attack occurred.

As I said before, it was a pretty clever rhetorical trick on Hillary's part to change the subject like that, and use a little blustering outrage to cover it up. I doubt we'll ever know the real truth of whose idea it was to push the video story and why, though the answers seem fairly self evident to the cynic (or "conspiracy theorist").

This is the Senate Foreign Relations Committee we're talking about here. They have the necessary clearances to see all relevant documents from the CIA & State & Defense Department sub-agencies, and even the WH.

I mean, really, take a wild, woolly, fucking-off-the-wall guess as to why the SFRC hasn't seen any of those documents.

Maybe it's because they just don't paint a pretty picture of the Administration in action.

If what really happened is classified and the Amercian people need to and deserve to know, then the Administration just needs to state this and rest on their trustworthiness. Is there any reason to mistrust the Obama administration?

The first order of business in cover ups by the Obama Machine is calling in an FBI investigation of the incident. Then it is claimed that makes all comments and disclosures PROHIBITED until after the investigation is over some year.

Nice trick. By the time the report comes out then what does that matter now.

BTW, I'm naive about exactly why it's the FBI's purview to investigate and report on such overseas diplomatic activities and criminal investigations. I don't recalling calling out the FBI to investigate Tehran and other American Embassy attacks.

Is this something we can legitimately blame Bush for? It just sounds a little too cozy with DoJ.

What sparked the violence was a very hateful video on the Internet. I condemn the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims. The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.

I wonder if Clinton's emotional outburst was caused by outrage or frustration. This isn't the first time she has been a victim of Obama's politics. Perhaps she is simply frustrated that the charlatan will escape scrutiny and culpability again.

There is another possibility. Perhaps she is creating drama purposely to retain the wandering attention of concerned Americans.

Ah, I see the Left is pissing itself over Kerry "giving it to" Johnson about missing the briefing. The briefing that took place before he was even on the committee, and therefore was not invited to attend. Why Kerry wasn't aware of this? Am I surprised he got it wrong, or was otherwise being dishonest to deflect an inconvenient question? No.

n.n said... I wonder if Clinton's emotional outburst was caused by outrage or frustration. This isn't the first time she has been a victim of Obama's politics. Perhaps she is simply frustrated that the charlatan will escape scrutiny and culpability again.

Well I'm not imaginative enough to speculate what notions might rattle around in Hillary's skull, (in all these sorts of things I tend to believe the simplest interpretation of events). But I think it's safe to say that there's a pretty serious enmity between the Clintons and the Obamas.

I don't understand why the right/GOP has so clearly failed to focus on the main point. McCain wasted five minutes the other day asking Hillary why she failed to be a good den mother over her Benghazi compound. The issue is lying in order to win an election. Who among them has the balls to say so? Even the GOP senator from Wisconsin doesn't have the Johnson to do it.

To the Professor's point: TPM is a waste of bits. Really, folks, I appeal to your sensibility. I want to feel your pain and your joy. Let us all chant now: TPM is a waste of bits. Maybe it's a nice, warm place that keeps lefties from getting frostbite. That could be a good thing. But goodness gracious, I've typed more intelligence in the last sentence than I've seen on TPM since its stupid inception.

We live in a democracy. Ultimately, those who think that it was a serious failure by our government not to provide better security for the Benghazi consulate, not to rush defensive forces there when the consulate was attacked, and to give out false information for a considerable time after the attack -- those who believe that, need to get the American people interested in the issue. To do so, they've got to get through the media fog. I hope they succeed. Maybe they will.

One reason for sending the FBI is that it is a civilian organzation that is supposed to ask the host government for permission to go places in a foreign country.This is a little thin in Libya, where we had just financed an armed a successful revolution, but had not yet got around to arranging for a proper government, but probably was the best the Govt. could think of at the moment to stall anyone from the U.S. officially going to Benghazi.Actually, of course, anyone with an armed escort was free to go all the time, though it appears whoever did was not very good at "bag jobs."

John Kerry is going to Secretary of State because back in September Susan Rice was sent onto the Sunday talk shows. If only she'd just had the presence of mind to feign illness after reading the talking points and suggest they send John Kerry in her place.

Both "Its" matter.- How can we understand what worked and what failed in our diplomacy unless we know the Who and Why of the attack?- How can we function as a democratic republic unless we have good reason to believe the public is not being misled for political reasons?Hillary and the Senators can dance back and forth forever between these, not getting to the bottom of either.Wouldn't it be great if there were some organization devoted to pressing government for the facts, and publishing them for the public? I've even got a name for the outfit, it's right on the tip of my tongue...

I have written this before and I will again because it is increasingly obvious to me that it is the truth. Something very bad was going on in Benghazi, stuff that we are not going to get to know about. Gun running to Syria has been suggested. Torture in the Annex has been suggested. The attack on the Embassy was likely unrelated to these actions but also very likely untimely and inconvenient. Why have we not heard a peep from the survivors of this action? No interviews. No memoirs in progress. No Op Ed in the NYT. No nothing. Nada.

I think it was a set up. They were denied help because the gov didn't want them to survive the attack. Gov probably owed or traded them for something the gov wanted or wants. Keep thinking about the film with Robert Redford....the CIA within the CIA......I do not believe we were not capable of helping those men....they chose not to.

I think it was a set up. The gov did not want them to survive the attack.....probably was a trade for something the gov wanted or maybe the gov owed some entity something like this. I do not believe we were not capable of saving these men, and it DOES matter WHY it happened.

Althouse like many Republicans err in treating Benghazi in total isolation from the 12 other attacks that put the lives, safety and property of Americans at risk that are directly attributable to the blasphemy video.Which the scumbag that made and distributed it said was done with the goal of inciting Muslims to harm and even kill Americans to "show how bad the Msulims are".

What Republicans are saying is that they only care about Benghazibecause "4 Dead Heroes!!" happened - and the rest - Cairo, Tripoli, Sanaa Yemen embassies overrun in attack, Americans barricaded in Karachi against attacking mobs enraged by Nakoula's video - is no big deal.

=================Keep up your 4 Dead Heroes!! drivel by all means.While you continue to ignore the 46,000 casualties and 2 trillion blown to "help the Noble Freedom Lovers". Who hate America even more now the Great Bush-Neocon debacle is winding down.

Yes, 4 dead Americans is bad. But small potatos compared to the blood and treasure squandered in two idiot Neocon Wars of adventure and nation-building.

Maybe you have trouble reading. The question is not what happened in Benghazi, but what happened in Washington. If the Congress were actually doing its job, instead of pretending to be our representatives, these are the questions that they should have asked:

1) Who drafted the initial talking points that referred to al Qaeda? Names and titles, please, along with the times of the draft. Please provide copies of the relevant drafts.

2) Who changed the draft to delete the reference to al Qaeda and to play up the "video mob" story? What words exactly were changed? What were the names and titles of the individuals who made those changes? Please provide copies of the relevant markups and marked-to-show changes drafts.

3) Who did the people in #2 talk to about Benghazi before making those edits? Please provide names and times of conversations. Please provide copies of all relevant email, text and other electronic communications.

But since you say you already know all the answers, maybe you can answer for the Administration.

Okay althouse you have tugged the "thread" a bit. Keep pulling. Go back to the Cairo Embassy condemnation statement put out by Larry Schwartz against State Dept. orders. He was reassigned to DC in late Oct. and his State Dept bio cleansed from the website.

6 hours before a single protestor had gathered.

The reports are that the Muslim Brotherhood had warned the Embassy because the You Tube video clip was shown on Egyptian TV a week earlier.

Now go back and read the news stories before and five days after The Benghazi murders. Tell us what you see as the lead? It rhymes with bit as someone fell for a political trap.

But who was really trapped? And knowing the upcoming, Foreign Policy debate would be a battle ground, when the MB played the Ax and used a video to set up a killing of a vital US player, Ambassador Stevens, now you can start to see why Susan Rice was sacrificed.

Keep pulling on this thread because it goes to the President and his ravenous desire for power. Unravel the bastard!